October 05, 2016 Last updated: July 05, 2020

Does CBD Show up on a Drug Test?

Suppose you occasionally or regularly enjoy CBD-enriched products and also drive cars, operate heavy machinery, or are a professional athlete. In that case, you might have asked yourself: Will my CBD oil show up on a drug test? 

While CBD has none of THC's intoxicating, psychotropic properties, they still come from the same plant. Many users are therefore concerned they might test positive for drug use. Let’s find out if these concerns are warranted!

Kinds of Drug Tests

There are three types of drug tests commonly used for Cannabinoids:

  • Oral fluid: This is mostly used to check drivers on the roadside. If you consumed drugs within the last few hours, this test would likely pick them up.

  • Urine sample: A commonly used method for workplace checks. It can detect if you took drugs within the last few days.

  • Hair follicles: The only test that detects repeated use that could take place over 90 days before testing. However, substances consumed within the week prior to this test won’t appear.

CBD and Drug Tests

Before we dive into the details, first things first: Consuming pure CBD, as it is found in CBD isolate products, will not result in a false positive drug test for THC! This is true for all the methods mentioned above: Oral fluid, urine and hair follicle analysis.

In a recent study, volunteers were given pure isolate CBD oils in doses up to 1500 mg. The concentration of CBD in the participant’s oral fluid was highest 20 minutes after receiving the dose. Despite this, the treatment did not result in a false positive result when tested with both of the most commonly used roadside oral fluid tests, whether samples were taken 20, 145 or 185 minutes after consumption [1]. 

In another study, researchers investigated urine samples. Volunteers were given 100 mg of an oral CBD isolate preparation, and samples were taken 58 hours after consumption. The investigators could not detect any THC in the samples, meaning pure CBD is unlikely to impact this drug testing method [2].

And there is also data on hair follicle testing. Research revealed that after 26 consecutive days of consuming CBD and a 1-week wait, head and pubic hair strand samples came back negative for THC [3]. 

Full Spectrum Products and Daily Use

Proceed with caution if you’re a fan of full-spectrum products or CBD buds! Especially if you consume them very regularly. In the EU, these products can contain trace levels of THC – up to 0.2% – which can, under some circumstances, be enough to result in a positive drug testing result.

Researchers detected THC in an oral fluid sample after smoking a CBD bud joint. The levels were highest 3 hours after consumption and decreased from there. When one such joint was smoked daily, urine samples started returning positive after 8 days, surpassing the legally relevant limit of THC after 15 days. However, hair follicle analysis after a one-week wait turned out negative for THC. This means that this type of testing could be a suitable method to distinguish between the long-term use of low-THC and high-THC products [3]. 

The Takeaway

If you are consuming CBD isolate products, even regularly, there seems to be no need to worry about drug testing ever coming back with a false-positive. On the other hand, you should be cautious with full-spectrum products, as they can produce positive short-term results in oral fluid testing or urine analysis after long-term use. 

While there are no specific studies on broad-spectrum CBD, it’s safe to assume that it will not cause any issues if the THC levels are truly below detectable levels in the product formulations. Unfortunately, many products on the market that are labelled as “THC-free” still contain significant levels of the prohibited substance [4]. So make sure to only buy from companies you can trust, and check their Certificates of Analysis!  

If you have more questions on this or any other topic, don’t hesitate to reach out! We love to hear from you.

Sources

[1] McCartney D, Kevin RC, Suraev AS, Irwin C, Grunstein RR, Hoyos CM, McGregor IS. Orally administered cannabidiol does not produce false-positive tests for Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol on the Securetec DrugWipe® 5S or Dräger DrugTest® 5000. Drug Test Anal. 2022 Jan;14(1):137-143. 

[2] Sholler DJ, Spindle TR, Cone EJ, Goffi E, Kuntz D, Mitchell JM, Winecker RE, Bigelow GE, Flegel RR, Vandrey R. Urinary Pharmacokinetic Profile of Cannabidiol (CBD), Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Their Metabolites following Oral and Vaporized CBD and Vaporized CBD-Dominant Cannabis Administration. J Anal Toxicol. 2022 May 20;46(5):494-503. 

[3] Gerace E, Bakanova SP, Di Corcia D, Salomone A, Vincenti M. Determination of cannabinoids in urine, oral fluid and hair samples after repeated intake of CBD-rich cannabis by smoking. Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Jan;318:110561. 

[4] Johnson E, Kilgore M, Babalonis S. Cannabidiol (CBD) product contamination: Quantitative analysis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) concentrations found in commercially available CBD products. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Aug 1;237:109522.